I was wondering if any current goalies on this forum have ever played outfield previous to goalie, mainly midfield as that's my position as well as facing and always has been since starting lacrosse at uni back in 2004.

Was wondering if any felt there are transferable skills, midfield habits that that may have positive and/or negative elements that may follow into the goalie role?

Thinking of taking it up after 6 years outfield, any tips getting started, if anyone has been in the same situation? (dont worry i will read all the threads in this section).

hey man, im not sure about transferable skills as i have never played a competitive game out field.what i do know is about goalkeeping. i personally found this video a massive help with positioning and getting the idea.

the big things i teach new goalies is:To have a loud voice and to be shouting at everyone and having a set of calls that you and them know so they know what is coming and what they should be doing ( been the general of the defensive team)

To be able to watch the entire field and see where cuts are coming from, when someone is building up for a shot at the same time of course. my referee coach of all people actually told me this, "goalies are only playing for about 2% of the game, but they are watching it 100% of the time."

Been able to take the hits, your nature instinct is to flinch, dodge the 100mph ball or blink. i find you need to overcome these natural reactions to really stand a chance think of it like self-conditioning. usually having someone shoot at you until you stop reacting like that can do the trick.

Work on clears with your defensive team, transition play is important in any team. run them over and over until you are making them for fun.Other than that the classic stepping to the ball and moving acrosse the goal as the play moves from side to side, but they are covered in the dvd.

I was a short stick D-Middie most of my life and a back up goalie before moving into the position full time later in high school. When it comes to saving the ball, I cant say there is much to be learned from playing in the field. You're reaction of "get the hell out of the way" of the fast moving solid object that you have as a field player must be immediately ignored once you step foot in that circle.

The biggest benefits I got from my years as a midfielder were understanding of the clearing game, playing outside of the crease, ability to anticipate where cutters will be coming from, and general defensive knowledge to direct the defense.

On the clears, a goalie who knows what he wants his team to do will be more efficient. Having played the field, think about where you want to get the ball to enhance breakouts. In this way, once you make the save, you dont have to spend as much time scanning the field for options since you know where the should be. And if they are not, you know your alternatives. A goalie who does not direct or help out on clears is hurting his team.

Some goalies don't enjoy being outside of the crease. Some will actually look at an open ground ball in front of the crease and leave it because once they are out running with the ball they dont know what to do. Middies who are used to bringing the ball up the field tend to make good clearing/ball handling goalies because they dont freak out as much about playing in open space with defenders breathing down your neck. The same rules apply to a goalie as they do to a middie - ie, dont run the ball out to the wing then throw back to the middle.

Knowing what an offense is trying to do is as key to making saves as reaction time. If you know that a teams top dodge is there just to set up a crease slide into a back side cut, you can play your angles to respect the pass more so than the shooter (ie standing deeper in the cage). Again, your midfield training will give you insight into what teams are trying to accomplish and what their cuts and movements mean.

Finally, the goalkeeper is the general out there. Its about so much more than calling out the ball position. The best goalies are non-stop communicators. USA's brian dougherty spends as much time micromanaging the defense as he does making saves (though not so much in this World Cup). He tells every defender where he wants them to be, even as much as telling them to move right or left a meter. He's so good at communicating ball movement that his defenders rarely have to look for it - even when a ball is in flight. This lets them focus on their jobs and this is crucial. The easier it is for your defence to worry about their man, their positioning, and not have to concentrate on the ball, the easier it will be for them to shut down off ball players. Think about what you want your goalies telling you when you are on the field. Spend an afternoon thinking about all the games where you could have been a better defender if you were more aware of what was going on around you and what the goalie could have done to facilitate that. Then find an efficient method of communication with your D. This changes team by team year by year as what works for one does not work for all.

Most importantly, remember you have 6 guys out there who you have to work well with. They need to trust you and you them. A goalie is on an island in his mental approach to the game only. I like to think of the goal keeper as the 7th defender.

I play midfield/attack and make a few cameos in goal if were missing a keeper or at a tournament, so probably in about the same boat as you experience wise!

From my limited experience I find that if your pretty reasonable outfield and used to catching hard passes etc, saving hard fairly outside shots is relatively easy from the start and you probably won't have many problems.

It's the inside, relatively one on one stuff, especially from attackers dodging from round x and the sides that I've found the most difficult when I go in cage. Of course with a strong d in front of you and more pressure on the attacker it may become a little easier. But that's the bit I've found hardest to adapt too, maybe it's because you are more dependent on your body than the goalie stick up close, which feels a lot less natural!

Another issue i've had from playing football, is when you throw yourself at the ball when closing down a man on a one on one, i sometimes find i jump out towards the ball kinda turning to block the ball football style and take a couple of shots behind the pads. but thats probably just me being special. haha

Hey guys, thanks for the lengthy reply's so far, its good to hear from both experience keepers and people who have tried it out.First things first, compute my brain into thinking pain = fun! , im probably more like the stupid than the brave

Ash wrote:Another issue i've had from playing football, is when you throw yourself at the ball when closing down a man on a one on one, i sometimes find i jump out towards the ball kinda turning to block the ball football style and take a couple of shots behind the pads. but thats probably just me being special. haha

I used to play as a long stick D, it really gets you to know about how the game plays and get anothet aspect of it but also allows you to know how you think the keeper should work which means when you get in between the pipes you know what you wanted from your keeper so you can do that. But also i agree with the others that i dont think it really helps you with your saving or anything but i can say an important thing in handling is really good to have as a keeper and if youve played outfield you should have decent handling.

Legally beating men with sticks since 1492Pain is Temporary - Glory is foreverIf they don't play Lacrosse in heaven, I'm not goinyou miss 100% of the shots you never take

When you are done playing you can take up refereeing. The goalies are the smartest guys on the pitch, best man management skills, are used to seeing the complete pitch etc. Interesting to know that disproportionately there are more former goalies refereeing at a world championship then any other position. So once you are finished taking this bold step, take the next one into refereeing!!!

Good luck!!

Don Blacklock
I'll referee the perfect game
only when you play the perfect game.